Conduit Connect

We’re thrilled to share that our co-founders, Martin Holicky and Hans Hon Sang Chan, have been named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe 2025 list! 🎉 What began as a university project in a student flat has grown into Matoha, a global leader in NIR & AI-powered material sensing. Under Martin and Hans’ leadership, we’ve deployed 600+ FabriTell and PlasTell devices across 45+ countries, helping divert tens of thousands of garments and plastics from landfills and incineration. This recognition is a powerful endorsement of their vision and our mission - to enable a more circular, sustainable world through our cutting-edge technology. To our brilliant team, supportive investors, and the global community championing reuse and recycling: thank you. This milestone energises us to aim even higher. 🌍♻️ https://lnkd.in/eVHTfPw5 #Forbes30Under30 #CircularEconomy #Sustainability #Innovation #Matoha

♻️ We’re thrilled to announce our latest investment into Matoha, a UK-based startup building cutting-edge material identification hardware + software solutions that are accelerating the transition to a more circular and sustainable economy. Matoha has developed low-cost, portable, AI-enabled handheld devices which can instantly identify textile blends to enable faster and higher volume sorting, recycling, and decision-making. It’s the kind of practical innovation that turns sustainability from a buzzword into action. Its data platform can track how sorted textiles move through the supply chain and can help customers comply with recycling legislation. At Conduit Connect, we believe in backing mission-driven entrepreneurs creating scalable solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. Matoha's commitment to material transparency and waste reduction is a powerful example of impact-led innovation. We’re proud to support Martin Holicky, Hans Hon Sang Chan and the Matoha Team for this next stage of growth alongside Archipelago Ventures, British Design Fund and Fashion for Good. Welcome to the Conduit Connect community! To learn more about why we invested, see the link in the comments below. #ImpactInvesting #Sustainability #Cleantech #CircularEconomy #ConduitConnect #Matoha #MaterialInnovation #VC #ClimateTech Gabrielle Morgan Alexander Shapiro Eva-Maria Dimitriadis Natalie Otwoma

🚀 Big ideas. Bold impact. April’s here – and so is the countdown to #InnovatorAwards25 Join us as we spotlight young changemakers in Health, Climate, Social Justice, and Education – and the winner of up to £200,000 from The Conduit EIS Fund. 💥 Hear from leading voices in social impact.  🗳️ Cast your vote for the People’s Choice Award.  🎉 Celebrate with a purpose-led community shaping the future. Tickets are going fast – grab yours now 👉 https://lnkd.in/duMSChB2 #TheConduit #SocialImpact #Innovation #NextGenLeaders #ImpactInvesting Paul van Zyl, Peres K., Matt Farquharson, Kristopher Simmons, Mehrad Jaberansari, Milly Dawson, Conduit Connect, Ashoka, Acumen Academy, Goodsted, UnLtd, Prime Advocates, Luka Agency , illuminem

An incredible evening at The Conduit last night, bringing together inspiring founders from our Conduit EIS Impact Fund! 🌟 Huge thanks to Scott Mackin for sharing why he invests in female-led businesses and Debbie Wosskow, OBE for highlighting the vital work of the Invest in Women Taskforce in closing the gender investment gap. A big thank you to CMS for co-hosting with us and to several Venture Partners and Investors for joining the conversation. #FemaleFounders #ImpactInvesting #WomenInBusiness

Happy International Women’s Day to the fantastic female founders and investors in the Conduit EIS Impact Fund. We are thrilled that 42% of our portfolio companies have a female founder… That proportion is rising to 50% very soon. We can’t wait to welcome many of you on Wednesday for our Female Founders’ Dinner with CMS, where the wonderful Debbie Wosskow, OBE and Scott Mackin will extoll the virtues of backing women. Next week we will be holding our Annual The Conduit EIS Impact Fund event in collaboration with Brewin Dolphin. If you would like to learn more about EIS investing, and to meet some of our fantastic portfolio companies, please register here. https://lu.ma/kq7dmcrt Get in touch to learn more about the Fund ahead of the next close in April. Thank you to these incredible colleagues: ⚡ Annalisa Jenkins, our formidable Board Chair ⭐ Jo Pisani, our incredible IC Chair ⚡ Alice Jiang-Cusaro our Board member ⭐ Gabrielle Morgan at The Conduit EIS Impact Fund ⚡ Natalie Otwoma at The Conduit EIS Impact Fund ⭐ Donna Brown, Aahuti Rai, Shevaun Haviland, Evie Mulberry, Molly Webb amazing Venture Partners And these superb founders: ⚡ Josephine Philips at SOJO ⭐ Anya Doherty at Foodsteps ⚡ Orla Shields at Kamma ⭐ Brittany Harris FICE at Qualis Flow (Qflow) ⚡ Jade Cohen at Qualis Flow (Qflow) ⭐ Francesca Cordeiro at Novai ⚡ Marie Labus at AMLo Biosciences ⭐ Rachel Carrell at Koru Kids ⚡ Christine Schoenzart at Little Journey ⚡ Hannah Chappatte, Kelly McCabe and many more x

In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence is no longer a luxury but a necessity for startups and small businesses aiming for growth and operational efficiency. Last week, we had the pleasure of bringing together our portfolio founders, investors, and ecosystem partners for an insightful discussion on AI. Our brilliant panel of experts - Elisabeth Ling, Jimmy Cockerton and Caspar Eliot, moderated by our Investment Manager, Gabrielle Morgan, shared actionable strategies to help founders integrate AI effectively. The discussion focused on: ✅ Identifying Specific Business Challenges - Prioritise AI applications that address concrete problems rather than adopting technology for its own sake. ✅Enhancing Operational Efficiency - Explore how AI can streamline processes in fundraising, product development, and impact measurement. ✅Navigating Ethical Considerations - Understand the broader implications of AI, including environmental impacts and effects on the labor market. A huge thank you to our speakers, everyone who joined and to Cooley LLP for partnering with the Conduit Connect! To learn more on how you can use AI to turbocharge your business, read the full blog post here: https://lnkd.in/eMxNrqfu #AI #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #Impact

Exiting a business is just the beginning. What comes next? For entrepreneurs and investors, the post-exit phase presents a unique opportunity - not just for wealth planning but for making a lasting impact. Our latest blog delves into wealth planning, legal considerations, and impact investing after an exit, featuring insights from leading industry experts, Lombard Odier Group and Mishcon de Reya LLP. For entrepreneurs contemplating an exit and those who have already taken the leap, this article is packed with invaluable takeaways. 🔗 Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eDGr5Yzf If you're thinking beyond financial returns and toward meaningful impact, do get in touch. What strategies have you explored post-exit? 👇 #ImpactInvesting #WealthPlanning #Entrepreneurship Eva-Maria Dimitriadis Gabrielle Morgan Natalie Otwoma Alexander Shapiro, Helen Mcdonald, Hayley Cross, John Spiers, Charles Fletcher, David Barker, Francesca Cordeiro, Orla Shields, Hannah Chappatte

❓Aged 18-28? Have an idea that could change the world? In your first 24 months of development? The Conduit Young Innovator Awards 2025 is looking for bold solutions in:  🏥Health  🌎Climate  🎓Education  ✊Social Justice & Inclusion.  In May, our four winners will receive up to £10,000, as well as a year-long Conduit membership, and mentorship from our community of investors, experts and innovators. ‼️OPEN TO ALL AGES‼️ If you’re further along in your founding journey, and are raising over £750,000 in equity between March and August 2025, we invite you to apply for the Impact Venture Award. If selected, you could win up to £200,000 in equity funding from The Conduit EIS Impact Fund. 💭This is your opportunity to showcase your ideas, connect with inspiring leaders, and accelerate your impact. 💡(Please note, you can only apply for one of the two awards)💡 👉 Click here to learn more and apply for the Awards by Friday 21 February: https://lnkd.in/duMSChB2 #TheConduit #InnovatorAwards25 #CallForIdeas #SocialImpact #Funding Paul van Zyl, Shaun Prime, Megan Kennedy, Peres K., Mehrad Jaberansari, Eva-Maria Dimitriadis, Sierra Paller, Rakhee Radia, Kristopher Simmons, Matt Farquharson, Centre for Innovation in Voluntary Action, Conduit Connect, Milly Dawson, Jay Kinsella, Jazal Babar, Alaya Amadi Holloway, Gregory Hargraves, Sergio Gosalvez Gosalvez, Sri Ellen Hollema, Zak Marks, Katie Hodgetts FRSA, Sara Berkai

We are delighted to share with you our fourth Impact Report! As we navigate pivotal moments in climate, health, education, and inclusion, we're proud to reflect on the progress we've made over the past year. Our latest report showcases: - An overview of the impact of our portfolio - Key challenges and opportunities 2024 offered - Our take on trends we’re looking for in 2025 including: Food 3.0, AI-driven diagnostics, employer solutions for upskilling and reskilling - Key milestones from our EIS Impact Fund Our mission statement promises that we put knowledge, networks and capital to work, to create a world we all want to live in. We are delivering on this mission. In the last 12 months, our portfolio has: 🌍 Avoided or removed over 32,000 tonnes of CO2e emissions 🗑️ Diverted over 10,000 tonnes of waste 📖 Saved £8.5m across the education system 💰 Enabled £42m wages All of this would not be possible without the remarkable contributions of our Founders, Venture Partners, Investment Advisory Committee, Board Members and the incredible partners who share our vision. Together, we're driving meaningful change - one step at a time. 🔗 Jump into the report: https://lnkd.in/eH9EKy9K A special shout-out to our team for their hard work bringing the report to life! Alexander Shapiro Eva-Maria Dimitriadis Gabrielle Morgan Natalie Otwoma Aahuti Rai Noah Devereux Andreas Raffel Aurelio Cusaro Molly Webb Carmel Rafaeli Jason C. Foster Guy Ranawake Jimmy Cockerton Andrew Reicher Evie Mulberry Martin Leuw Max Richardson James Brown Donna Brown Luke Kincaid Rodney Appiah John Spiers Annalisa Jenkins Charles Eve Charles Watson Alice Jiang-Cusaro Paul van Zyl #Impactreport #venturecapital #climatetech #healthtech #edtech #inclusion

We're the 2nd fastest growing cleantech company in the UK! 🌱 At the 2024 Deloitte #UKFast50 awards ceremony we scooped 9th place overall and 2nd in the cleantech category. It's been a landmark year for us - we're the only supplier of commuting services globally to be an accredited B Lab UK B Corp - recognising our commitment to communities and the planet as well as growing our own business. We also became a Living Wage employer, gained a spot on the Sunday Times Best Places to Work list all while surpassing 2 million passenger journeys! Read more about our journey, and how we support businesses to get the staff they need where, and when, they need them, below: #WorkplaceTransport #SustainableTransport #Recruitment https://bit.ly/48Fwd7G